Schönheit ist wie Schönheit es eben tut
by KyoKyo866
Summary: "Beauty Is as Beauty Does" - Sick of his rut life, Germany finds salvation when he discovers Lolita fashion. With Japan's help, he finds himself happy in their dresses, but not everything goes as expected when Germany finds that he must hide his true self from both his new community and his old friends.
1. Chapter 1

He should be leaving any time now.

Germany glanced up at the clock on the wall for a moment or so before looking back over to the basement door. With slight impatience, he tapped his foot quietly, though pausing as his cell phone vibrated in his hand. With a few flicks of his fingers on the touch pad, he frowned as he saw the newest text message.

::**Just got done, how far along are you?**::

He huffed through his nose, quickly typing that he hadn't been able to do anything yet, but he paused, looking up as he saw the basement door open. On instinct, he walked into the kitchen to check out the commotion as Prussia went through it, grabbing his wallet but faltering as he didn't seem to see his keys on the counter.

"They're on the hook."

"Jeezus!" Prussia spun around, blinking for a moment before just chuckling a bit. "Don't scare me like that, West! Have you just been standing there this whole time?"

Germany smiled slightly, knowing that he didn't even have to answer as the other just as quickly went to the hook near the front door to grab his car keys. "Poker at France's place, right?"

"Yup! I'm gonna clean him out this time!" Prussia glanced at the door for a moment before rounding back into the kitchen, grabbing an unopened bag of chips from on top of the fridge. "You wanna come with? There's always room for one more awesome guy! Not as awesome but myself of course but good enough!"

"No thanks, I have that sewing class with Japan tonight." Germany said simply, if not a bit quietly.

"Ah that's right, that class thing! Don't wanna have to depend on that Austria to patch up your boxers anymore, huh? Kesesese!"

Germany's very slight smile became a lot more strained as he decided once more not to answer, just waiting for his brother to finish getting the rest of his things before heading out the door.

"Don't wait up, West!"

Slam!

He stood still for a while as he listened to the car start up and drive off down the road, waiting until he couldn't hear the engine before quickly spinning around and heading to the couch where his phone rested, deleting what he had attempted to write before to send a proper reply.

::_He just left; I'll be ready by the time you come by._::

::**Okay. See you then.**::

A relieved smile began to settle on the German's face as he made his way to his room, already unbuttoning his shirt and casually shrugging it off by the time he went back into his closet. He had so much to do in a limited amount of time. Leave it to Prussia to procrastinate till the very last second.

But that didn't matter now, nothing had to matter anymore. This was his time.

He pulled away a chunk of his clothing from the middle of his closet, spreading it just enough to be able to push open the door that hid right behind it. As he flicked on the switch near the door, bright colors of fabric illuminated under the ceiling light, giving the small hidden room a sudden feeling of life. The man smiled as he moved forward, looking amongst the polished shoes carefully lined up beneath of the rows of dresses that were hung delicately on the racks that were built into the walls of the room.

He had been looking forward to this day all month. Finally, a break from his usually routine with a little something special. And while this wasn't going to be like the normal times, he just felt like there was something he wanted to try out. He was sure the rest of them wouldn't mind, after all.

Before he took out any of what he needed, he promptly slipped off his pants, heading over to one of the room's dressers and pulling out a petticoat and bloomers, knowing he should at least get the basics done before getting his attire off its hanger. Of course, none of it was even hard to do at that point.

Though as he slipped them on, he lightly frowned as he looked to the same dresser, giving a quiet sigh as he pulled out a custom sewn bra, looking over to make sure the rounded breastforms hadn't fallen out of it. He really hated this part of the process. He never wanted to keep up the act of being a girl, but he knew he had to. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he slipped the straps over his shoulder and clicked the hooks in the back. Once he had them securely in place, he reached over and slipped the wine red dress of choice off its hanger.

While he didn't usually go for the sweeter styles, it seemed to have an old school feel and just enough of a balance of bow and frill placement to be able to work for him. Slowly he slipped into the dress, being careful to not accidently to tug something and rip it, especially around the sleeves since he knew very well they could be detached. Luckily, it just seemed to slip on like a glove, the very slightly oversized sleeves and fabric doing a stellar job hiding his muscle tone.

He reached up on the shelf above the dresses, taking the ribbons that were made for the dress, which he had placed there earlier having not wanted to lose them. After reattaching them on their proper place, he looked down to the red and white dress hugging against his body, his smile widening as he twisted his hips very slightly to see the skirt move back and forth.

Now was not the time to dawdle though, he was on a time limit.

Pulling out a chair he previously had against a wall, he sat down on it and pulled out a pair of large white stockings from the vanity dresser nearby. Carefully, he slipped each one onto his legs, making sure they rested around mid thigh length since he surely didn't want anyone to get a good view of his legs.

With the stockings on securely, he shifted his chair so he could be pulled right up to the mirror of the vanity, flicking a light nearby it so it could glow and illuminate his reflection. Instinctually, he combed a hand through his hair to make sure his bangs kept back, though after a moment of looking at his hair, he decided to reach into a small bag he kept on the side of the mirror to pull out a wig cap, deciding to just take his normal hair out of the equation for now.

Pulling out the box of makeup under the mirror, he opened it up and took some liquid foundation a shade paler than his own natural complextion, applying a good glob of it to a nearby sponge and spreading it around his face and neck. Soon after he took a powder foundation of the same color and brushed it over. He couldn't help but smile at already seeing a doll like appearance from it. But he wasn't nearly done yet. He fished out some eyeliner, pausing a moment to sharpen the end before pressing the edge of it against his lower lid. He had done this so many times now, he was pretty confident on how to get a nice line without poking his eye.

He had mixed feelings about doing the makeup process. While he was in no way an expert and always found the middle of the process to look awkward, he knew that it would be more than worth it when he finished.

Time ticked by as he continued his process, applying some mascara before moving on to some rose blush for his cheeks and finishing off with red lipstick. He really did love that color on him. Something about it, even with more monotone outfits, just seemed to really make an impact. He bit his lips down on a piece of tissue before getting up from his chair, making sure it wasn't going to smear before throwing the tissue aside.

He glanced on the shelf opposite of the one he had gotten the dresses on, seeing the variety of ribbons and other trinkets resting near his small collection of long blonde wigs. He hummed lightly in thought before taking the more medium sized one of the group from the wig head to fit on himself. Taking a brush that had been laying to the side, he brushed the wig very lightly and fitted it to where it was most comfortable, letting his main bangs and a few longer locks hang in the front as the rest flowed in the back. Granted the position of his bangs covered one of his eyes but he didn't mind in the slightest. Taking another glance to the shelf, he took down a smaller red and white bonnet, letting it cup over the top of his head evenly. Before he forgot though, he went back over to the opposing shelf and slipped on white wedding lace gloves.

Germany gave quiet sigh in relief as he figured he was done at this point. All the elements were in place. He looked back to the lighted mirror in front of him to see how well he had done, and despite being used to doing makeup and putting on these sorts of attires, he never got over that sight in the mirror.

The sight of just how beautiful he really was.

His mesmerized gaze was interrupted as he heard his phone vibrate on the floor, having forgotten that he had left them in his pants pocket. He kneeled down and fished it out, unlocking his screen to see what it was.

::**I'm out front. Ready to go?**::

::_Be right there._::

Germany grinned upwards in a bit of excitement, reaching over and slipping on some polished red bowed strapped shoes before heading out of the room, being sure to hide the door behind his normal clothes as he left. Before he headed out of his room, he grabbed his small leather white bag, subconsciously tracing the bow design on it before unclasping it to put in his wallet and phone.

He glanced over to a notebook sitting on his bed, making sure to grab it. He glanced over the German adjectives written all over the front, smiling as he knew exactly what they all said. He held it close to him before heading out to the front door, being sure to lock it behind him as he exited. When he looked forward, he chuckled silently, seeing a very familiar face next to the passenger side door of the car parked up front.

Japan smiled warmly as he saw Germany exit the house, taking off his top hat to swing underneath him as he bent down for a bow towards their dear friend. The chains to his pocket watch jingled slightly at the movement, his cravat dropping a little before straightening out as Japan stood back up. As the blonde walked up to the car, Japan opened the side door to allow the other easy access into the vehicle.

"Good day, my lady Schöne. I believe we're going to have a lot of fun today."

At the name, Germany seemed to just glow as he smiled, nodding his head with the tiniest curtsey motion in a gesture of thanks before entering the car, letting Japan close the door behind him. As he waited for Japan to get back in his seat and put the car back in motion, he glanced over the other's attire. It was a bit on the warmer side today so he wasn't too surprised to see him wearing the knickerbockers shorts, but it certainly wasn't often he saw him wear the knee-high boots to match its length.

"This Lolita meet has a lot of people this time, even some from other groups," Japan said, heading back on the main road as he gave another grin to the dressed up nation beside him, "and I heard some of them came to see you."

Germany blinked in surprise, pointing to himself as if asking if he was hearing right. With the other giving him a nod, he leaned into his seat and looked toward the road, able to feel his cheeks tingle from his smile of joy while pressing his notebook close to his chest.

Despite it being strange and a little confusing, he knew that he was truly thankful for learning about this new style.

The lifestyle of the Lolita.

* * *

References:

Head – img0,etsystatic,com/000 /0 /5341743 /il_fullxfull,314622102,jpg

Hair - ioffer,com/ img / item/ 185/ 154/ 290/ new-pure-pale-blonde-long-hair-straight-wigs-462b6,jpg

Body - hellolace,net/ wardrobe/ ap / 2007/ op/ ap_op_precute_color2,jpg

Gloves - cdn,greenweddingshoes,com/ wp-content / uploads / 2011/06 / lace-gloves-wedding-09,jpg

Bag - image,dhgate,com/ albu_314200533_00-1.0x0 /lolita-bag-multicolor-into-cute-female-bags,jpg


	2. Chapter 2

As far as he knew, the world was consistent of dull colors. Greens, grays, blues, whites. All dull; blurring together into objects and pathways. It had been like this for hundreds of years, it would be like this for hundreds of years more. Dull. Every day, dull colors, bland shapes, one step after another. All the same, never changing.

"… Germany-san? Are you all right?"

Germany tensed for a moment at being called out, not having noticed he had been zoning out as he was watching outside the passenger window. He straightened up his posture, realizing only now that the car had stopped and they arrived at the parking lot. Out of instinct, he unlocked the door and began to step out, though paused as he noticed Japan wasn't doing the same, only just looking at him in a worried manner.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Are you sure? You've been quieter than usual. Should we go back to my place?"

"No, it's fine. We'd been planning this for a while; I wouldn't cancel on you when we've all ready arrived." Germany assured him once more before fully exiting the vehicle, Japan soon following after him. The two walked silently next to each other for a good portion of the walk across the parking lot, Germany looking up to the new building after some time. "So, this is the new 'metro-mall' that just opened up? Not as big as I thought it would be from how you were talking about it."

"Mm, perhaps I may have exaggerated when I talked about it on the phone. But there is a lot more stores in there than the usual malls in this area," Japan explained, looking up to it as well, "I just thought it would be fun visiting here with a friend. They did have some places that I thought you would like."

"Yes, you mentioned a cat café, didn't you?"Japan faltered a moment, frowning a bit. Germany straightened up just a bit, knowing that sort of body language anywhere. "Is it not in this mall?"

"It is, but because of some issues, they will not be able to open that particular café for another week or so."

"Ah."

Figures.

Out of habit, Germany smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt, choosing it to be a distraction for his disappointment. Japan sighed quietly, quickening his pace so he could reach the door first to open it for his friend. Once they headed inside, they both looked up, the walls seeming to just climb up to a sky light on a few floors above them, the spiraling pathways upwards seeming a lot bigger than they original thought.

"…Wow, it really is bigger on the inside."

Germany heard a quiet snort from Japan but decided not to question it. The two of them headed over to the directory map to look over the choices. Germany squinted at the words for a moment, having learned a good portion of Japanese, especially to speak, though admittedly he wasn't the best at reading it. Meanwhile Japan seemed to just skim over all of the details before pointing up to the third floor.

"The food court is up there. Since we are not able to go to the cat café, I will buy lunch."

Germany blinked, looking down at the smaller man in a little bit of surprise for the offer. "You sure?"

"Yes, it is least I can do for failing to inform you about the café's postponement."

The blond nodded, seeing this being a fair agreement. Admittedly, he hadn't had much of an appetite for a long while, even a few days, but he knew that he hadn't properly eaten today. He had to force himself to eat something, Japan would probably pick up that something wasn't right if he didn't.

With their goal in mind, they headed to the elevator to get them to head to the third floor. As it headed up, Germany glanced out to the rest of the mall, not really seeing anything that came to mind to be interesting. While he knew probably a lot of the stores were definitely interesting to Japan, he couldn't seem to pick out one he could exactly feel a need to look at. Clothing stores, hobby stores, smaller concession stands; it was all practically the same as any other mall he would have been in.

Dull colors and shapes, that's all they were.

".. Oh."

Germany's ears perked as he heard the quiet sound of surprise come from his friend, turning around to see what the commotion was about. Once the doors of the elevator had opened, he almost had to double take.

Pink.

Pastels, blues, purples, blacks, whites.

Lace, bows, ribbons, sweets, curls, poofy curves.

Germany's brows furrowed mostly in confusion, seeing a large gathering of mostly young ladies in different sorts of dresses, some being very plain and simple, and others being very complex and intricate. What exactly was he even looking at? He snapped out of it for a moment as he noticed Japan stepping out of the elevator. He to follow behind, staring for a few moments before forcing his eyesight forward, not wanting to appear rude and stare.

"Ah, was not aware there was a Lolita meet up here today," Japan mumbled to himself before choosing a table to sit down in so they could have a place to stay and look over their options. He opened his mouth to ask what they would like, but paused as he realized Germany just seemed to keep looking to the gaggle of girls. ".. Ludwig?"

Germany looked back forward in hearing his human name addressed, trying to seem like he wasn't really doing anything. Japan tilted his head in a curious manner, thinking for a moment before it finally clicked. The German had probably never seen Lolita fashion before, they didn't do many big city adventures so it made sense.

"Those girls are wearing Lolita; it's a street fashion here. Very popular."

"Ah, so it's just Japanese fashion?" Germany asked, not being able to look over his shoulder to glance over the many different types of attire once more. "It's… quite dramatic."

"Mm. Part of the design is to try to have a doll aesthetic, and is partly inspired by England's fashion of the past, Victorian." Japan explained, not being able to help a small smile growing on his face at seeing the other be interested in something like that.

"Is that so?"

"Hai."

The blond stared for a few more moments before bending his head down and front, forcing himself to look away. What was he doing? If any of those girls caught him staring, they'd think he was some sort of pervert! They are just playing dress up out in public, nothing more. The raven haired nation looked between his slightly flustered friend and the meet up nearby.

"If you want we can go say hi to them, they would probably like some compliments from the public and wouldn't mind talking about their design. Hachi is over there too and she'd probably—" Before he was even able to finish, the German just stood up from his chair.

"I'm going to get a sandwich. I'll be back."

Japan quickly went to his satchel to try to get out his wallet so he could get yen to pay for it, though blinked as Germany just went off without waiting. He sighed quietly, wondering if it was a good idea to be around here still. This wasn't going well for their outing at all.


End file.
